CPV codes 101

If you're new to procurement, you may have noticed CPV codes attached to every tender, no matter where it's posted or how big or small the contract is.

So what are CPV codes? And what do you need to know about them to find the right contracts for you?

CPV Codes: The Basics

CPV stands for "Common Procurement Vocabulary". As the name suggests, it was developed by the EU to standardise the terminology used around procurement across countries and sectors and has been in use since 2006.

The system involves a hierarchy of 9 digit codes associated with different products and services within each sector that buyers can use to attribute their procurement, thereby structuring all procurements made within any one or however many applicable CPV groups.

The system entails the following structure:

• The first two digits identify the divisions (XX000000-Y);
• The first three digits identify the groups (XXX00000-Y);
• The first four digits identify the classes (XXXX0000-Y);
• The first five digits identify the categories (XXXXX000-Y);

For example:

This tender for the design, development and implementation of a new website has been marked as part of the XX division, XX group, XX class, and XX category.

How to make the most of CPV codes as a supplier

All this sounds very organised, but unfortunately there is still quite a bit of individual interpretation that takes place when tender announcements are created. Some buyers are very thorough and will tag a tender with all related CPV codes, making it much easier for you as a supplier to spot these opportunities through a basic search. Others, however will only tag the general division. When this happens you have two options:

1. Use a narrower search to only view opportunities that match with lower level CPV codes (classes or categories) that match your product or services.

Pro: You'll generally only see results that are relatively well matched to your business.

Con: You'll miss any tenders that weren't tagged with lower level CPV codes.

1. Use a broader search to view all opportunities within the general division or group that applies to your business.

Pro: By widening your search, you'll make sure you see all opportunities that could be relevant to your business.

Con: End up with a heap of results to sift through to find ones that are fully relevant to you.

What we recommend:

Don't be afraid to try out different configuration options! Create a few different monitoring profiles and experiment with both broader and narrower CPV searches. Try to keep an eye on what rolls in for each to see what's working and what's not.

Pair CPV filters with other valuable filter options, such as keywords and geography. If you know your preferred buyers or specific places you'd like to do business, make sure to include those in your monitoring profile. While you don't want things to be unduly limited, the more you include parameters that are deal breakers in your filters, the fewer tenders you will have to wade through to find ones that are a solid fit.